58 comments:

He is gorgeous and so is the outfit. I remember those days so well. They were exhausting. My granddaughter who is now 8 months old was extremely colicky and it passed around 4 months. It was so different being the grandma and holding her through her rough times- I was so much more relaxed. Try to find time for you to rest and relax- easier said than done- so that you will have the strength to cuddle until it passes.

Oh, he's so sweet! He looks like he is thinking deep, important thoughts.

It will get better, it really will, and you will actually miss those little boy eyes gazing at you in the middle of the night. (I know you know this cause you've got bigger kids...but we need to remind each other when we're in the trenches!)

Just so you know, some babies benefit from probiotics and there are plenty of studies to show that it reduces colic.

Of our 7 kids, I have had 3 colicky babies. (One cried daily from 3 to 10 p.m., which meant that I cried daily from 2:30 to 10:30 p.m.) Dairy is a major factor for colic at our house. #7 is 6 mos old now and has only had two screaming bouts, both after I cheated and gorged myself on dairy. It is a definite sacrifice to eat dairy-free but worth it for our sanity and baby's comfort. You might try a week without dairy and see what happens.

Actually, the literature would suggest that the peak of unexplained crying (aka colic) is more like 8-10 weeks. The intense crying usually begins to fade out by ~12-14 weeks. That's a long time to wait...Many parents swear by "The Happiest Baby on the Block" by Dr. Karp.He is a darling baby and I love the traditional little outfit.

I've had a baby with colic, too, and my emotional cycle during the screaming sessions was to feel pity for the baby, then move toward feeling frustrated, then hopeless and angry, and then eventually wanting to hurl my precious little bundle against the wall with ALL MY MIGHT. It was just awful! ARGHH!! I'm sorry!

Just make sure he doesn't have an acid reflux situation going on. . . that is sometimes the case. My baby liked sitting on top of a running dryer in her bouncy seat (worked for five precious minutes), and sometimes we'd take her outside at night, no matter the hour, and that would distract her for a minute or two--the sky and the darkness I suppose. You gotta take what you can get.

Six solid months. That was 23 years ago but I remember it well. The only thing that worked was going outside in the stroller. Hard to do at 1 a.m. He was worth it all. That baby is now expecting his first :o) Hang in there-the days are long but the years fly fast. Dee

They told me my 9 month old was colicky when he was born...turns out he was sensitive to milk....we formula fed and switched him to soy..and was a different baby within 24 hours! This too shall pass, dear!

He is so beautiful! I wish I was closer by so I could come cuddle him while you get some rest. It's harder when you have bigger kids. My only advice (which you did not ask for so feel free to disgard) is to arrange your day as best you can around when he's fussiest and to wear him as much as possible. When the sling doesn't work you can try a wrap...they're fabulous. I went through a stage where I had to cook supper right after breakfast because evenings were filled with holding a screaming baby. But it will pass! Meanwhile...you're in my prayers!

Well I had two babies with what they thought was colic but one ended up being a milk allergy and th other reflux. My youngest is still taking meds for reflux and she will be two in a month! I wore my babies a lot this seemed to help and Vanderbilt recommended me do this with both. I remember those screaming days they were so hard because of my other children some days we all just cried! I hope this passes soon for you!Joy

Thanks! MJ, I think the doctor was trying to humor me about the colic peaking.

I think it is a reflux issue, as he's having at least one projectile spit up a day of what looks like an entire feeding, plus several "silent chokes" followed by crying. It is worst between 2 and 6 am.

Maybe I'll try eliminating dairy and see if that helps. Otherwise, I'm wearing him a lot, giving shorter but more frequent feedings, and trying to keep him upright.

I have to second the people who have suggested acid reflux or lactose intolerance. My son had both an it was a long 8 months before we figured them both out. But once we did, he was a different child. Hope it passes soon!

Just wanted to note that my daughter had acid reflux, but it was called "Silent Reflux", meaning that she never spit up, so it was hard to diagnose. But, we did notice she was very upset when we laid her on her back, after eating, etc. Those are some clues to keep in mind. We elevated her bassinet so her head was higher incline than her lower body, that helped a bit too. (All this was on top of acid reflux meds)

I'm sure lots of colicky babies don't have reflux, but my baby had BOTH, and it was so very hard, lasting until she was 7+ months old.

Hang in there, it may seem like it will never end, but sure enough, it does, and the harsh memories fade. ;O)

My third's colic lasted about 15 weeks, starting to get a little better around 12. I just gave up on nearly everything 'cept him (and the two other kids) and somehow survived! Gripe water did help, too! Good luck, it is hard! So very hard! But one day you'll forget he ever had it!

I feel so sorry for John. As hard as it is for you, he is the one who is in pain without relief. The anonymous commenter who said she wanted to hurl her baby against the wall actually brought tears to my eyes. I cannot imagine a mother having such a thought no matter how frustrated and tired she was. That, in my opinion, was a very offensive comment. Babies don't CHOOSE to cry for hours because they are in agony. They need soothing, loving care for their parents - not anger.

If you want to delete offensive comments, may I suggest you start with Cat at Scaling Back. I am more than offended that she would indicate, in capital letters, no less, that she wanted to harm her child. The baby is in pain! Would she perhaps have liked someone to hurl her against the wall when she was in labor? No one ever said being a mother was always easy, and I am the mother of two, but the rewards are sure worth it! Even when a little one suffers from colic, and I do know it can be frustrating, it is our role as a mother to provide as much comfort as we can to our child, rather than to contemplate harming him.

Respectfully, I do not feel that Cat's comments are offensive. They are a true personal reflection of the helplessness and frustration that some mothers feel.

I don't think anyone doubts that a crying baby is hurting. That's exactly why mothers feel so hopeless and helpless when this happens.

It is very hard to hear your baby cry without relief and not be able to figure out why.

I'm going to leave all of the pertinent comments up because (1) a mother may read the words and recognize that her emotions are slipping into a danger zone OR (2) a mother may read the words and realize that she is not alone.

I have never commented twice on a blog, in fact I rarely comment, but reading Cat's comment earlier today has haunted me all evening. I know the frustration and helpless feelings that come with being unable to comfort your baby, and I know how wearing it is to have a baby cry nonstop for hours. I still find it appalling that a mother would think of harming her child, and I would rather feel alone than to be in the company of one who would consider violence directed at her own baby as a solution to a trying situation. I enjoy your blog and the comments it generates, but I, respectfully, still find the comment quite offensive. I mean, who cares if someone gets upset over how one chooses to spend money, but a precious child potentially being harmed? Now THAT'S offensive! The mental image of her words is very troubling.

Colic stinks. Peanut had it for....hmmm....8 mos....Ha! Still comes back every once in a while. I hope this passes quickly. BTW, 69 cent outfit!!! So want to shop with you! Those deals just aren't in my town!

Those who are offended by honesty should get real. She didn't say she was going to harm her baby, just expressing her frustration. Haven't you ever heard anyone use the expression "Oh, I could just kill you for that" or something like that? I don't think the person actually intends to really kill someone, it's just an expression of frustration.

I've had a colicky baby and you literally feel like you could go out of your mind. Mine would scream from 10 at night to 4 or 5 AM. Then my 2 year old would be up at 6 AM. This went on for 3 solid months. You have to go through it to understand it.

Instead of being judgemental and taking a comment so seriously, why don't you lend support and compassion to a fellow Mom?

Oh, Meredith! I feel for you! Praying you will get through this tough time with John. BTW, he is such a handsome fellow! theEdge is six months now and we are seeing the end of the light! Praise God!!! He is sleeping and is generally less fussy...that is as long as Mommy is around. It's good to be loved!

While I never actually threw my baby against the wall (I would never do that!), I won't lie and say that I didn't have fantasies about it. It's true. I regret that I was rather inelegant in conveying my sentiments (above).

I don't know what I would have done as a single mother. Some days my husband would come home from work and find me pacing with the baby, crying almost as hard as she was. It was a miserable time because nobody was getting any sleep, ever. There was no relief, with no family nearby--and I would not trust a babysitter or a girlfriend to watch her.

Our son's so-called colic turned out to be severe reflux, and with help from Prevacid and Reglan, he got better and stopped crying in only a few days. It was expensive, but we got a discount card from the pharmaceutical company and ended up paying only $2 a month for the Prevacid - maybe the best money we ever spent.-Emily C